Vintage Tractor Cleaning with Dry Ice

Collectible and historic equipment can now be cleaned with dry ice blasting equipment and techniques that remove 100+ years of paint, grease, and coatings. Antique machinery can be in part indestructible, and still require great care to be taken around engine components that can’t be replaced.

In some instances, we use abrasive media (like crushed glass or garnet) mixed into our dry ice pellets through a second blast tank in unison with the first. We drip the media in at a very low rate to penetrate the adherent (paint, epoxy) so that the dry ice can get below the surface and expand; lifting the adherent from the substrate.

Due to the significant reduction in dust and waste, projects will realize an overall reduction in containment and post-clean-up costs. The solution does not require rust inhibitors or cause flash rusting so the surface will be left dry and residue-free, which enables a new coating to be applied more quickly.

The solution meets a 2 – 5 mils profile specification and achieves an SSPC 10, SA 2.5 and NACE 2 standard.